We Asked Montreal Restaurant Servers About Tipping — Here's What They Wish Every Diner Knew

Should you tip at Montreal restaurants?

The resounding answer is YES. Please tip your servers at restaurants — even if you're getting takeout. "The worst is when someone picks up a takeout order and doesn't tip," Gonzales told MTL Blog. "A lot of people who do this think that because they didn't sit down and eat they don't have to tip, but the fact is that people had to prepare the ingredients, make the food, and give it to you."

Another former server, Brianna, argued that not tipping is similar to "saying that your server deserves to lose money on their sub-minimum wage rate for the service they provided you." She emphasized the lower minimum wage for servers, adding that the service industry can be extremely taxing.

"Your server is undoubtedly on their feet for hours at a time, often without sufficient breaks," Brianna wrote to MTL Blog.

So, if you want to make friends with your waiter, it's probably best to pay them for their work.

Should you tip Montreal baristas or counter service?

This is a more complicated question, and service industry workers don't necessarily agree. One former server, Arsh Prakash, told MTL Blog that tipping counter service staff is typically unnecessary since they're not actually serving you. But some servers added a little nuance, pointing out that counter staff are still paid that lower service minimum wage.

"If a barista is already making [a] living wage, then a small tip is polite but not necessary," Brianna said. But if they're on restaurant wages instead, tipping is "necessary," in her opinion. If you don't know, she suggests tipping in cash — that way, the money definitely goes to your barista, not to the establishment itself.